Finnish Food & Grocery Vocabulary: Shop and Cook in Finnish
Food is the vocabulary you use most
You shop and eat every day, so food words repay learning faster than almost any other category. Learn a handful before your next trip to the shop and you will use them within the hour, which is exactly what makes them stick.
Here are the essentials, grouped the way they sit on the shelves so they are easy to picture.
Fruit and vegetables
- omena, apple
- banaani, banana
- tomaatti, tomato
- porkkana, carrot
- peruna, potato
- sipuli, onion
- salaatti, lettuce/salad
- mustikka, blueberry
Staples and the fridge
- leipÀ, bread
- maito, milk
- juusto, cheese
- voi, butter
- kananmuna, egg
- kahvi, coffee
- vesi, water
- liha, meat
Useful phrases at the shop
- Paljonko tÀmÀ maksaa?, How much is this?
- MissÀ on...?, Where is...?
- Saanko...?, May I have...?
- Ei kiitos., No thank you.
- Kiitos., Thank you.
Remember them where you will use them
The trick with food vocabulary is to attach each word to the place you meet it, the market stall, the fridge shelf, the plate on the table. That is why a market scene beats a market word list: your memory of âporkkanaâ comes back the moment you see carrots, exactly when you need it.
Practice food words in a Finnish market
SuomiSpeak's market, grocery and produce scenes teach food vocabulary the way you meet it in real life. Free to start.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say food in Finnish?
Food is ruoka. âI am hungryâ is Minulla on nĂ€lkĂ€, and âEnjoy your mealâ is HyvÀÀ ruokahalua.
How do I ask for the price in Finnish?
Say Paljonko tÀmÀ maksaa? (How much is this?). Finns usually answer with the number of euros, so knowing your Finnish numbers helps here.
Is Finnish food vocabulary hard?
No, food words are concrete and repeat constantly in daily life, which makes them some of the easiest and most rewarding Finnish vocabulary to learn first.